What is famous about Udupi?

A beautiful confluence of history and culture.

Udupi Tourism (2025) > Top Places, Temples, Travel Guide

Udupi Travel Essentials

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"Serene Beach Town of Karnataka"

Udupi Tourism

Udupi is a coastal town in Karnataka, most famous for its vegetarian cuisine and South Indian restaurants all over the country. With beautifully carved ancient temples, laidback beaches and unexplored forests, Udupi is also the place where the educational hub of Manipal is located. Situated 60 km from Mangalore, Udupi is famous for its temple culture and beautiful beaches.

Surrounded by the Arabian Sea on one side and the Western ghats on the other, a ride through this district will bring you the best of both worlds. Being a holy town, one of the most important attractions here is the Krishna Temple. Udupi is also known as Rajata Peetha and Shivalli locally.

Some of the most beautiful beaches in Karnataka are in Udupi. Malpe Beach is a tourist hotspot as it has beach shacks selling some of the most delicious seafood fresh off the boat, a beachside culture unlike any other in Southern Karnataka and many water sports too. From here, you can take a boat to St. Mary's Island which is famous for its black rocks.

St. Mary's Island

Malpe Beach

Krishna Temple

Kaup Beach

Delta Beach

Jomlu Teertha

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Udupi Travel Packages

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8 Days / 7 Nights

Holy Karnataka Pilgrimage Package

Bangalore(0N) → Kukke Subrahmanya(1N) → Mangalore(1N) → Udupi(1N) → Gokarna(1N) → Sirsi(1N) → Kollur(1N) → Horanadu(1N)

$447/person

5 Days / 4 Nights

Discover the Beauty of Coastal Karnataka 4 Nigh...

Mangalore(1N) → Udupi(3N)

$ 207

16% off

$173/person

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Architecture

Udupi is extremely famous for its religious architecture devoted to the Gods and saints of the Hindu religion. The Krishna temple includes, in addition to its majestic statue of Lord Krishna, beautiful chariot structures or rathas. All deities in the temple face the west, and a unique feature associated with them is that they are worshipped through windows.

These windows are plated with silver and have nine holes - also known as Navagraha kindi. Next to the Krishna Temple lies the Udupi Anantheshwara temple, which is believed to be over 1000 years old. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The city also has the Tulu Ashta Mathas, which are Hindu monasteries set up by the saint Sri Madhvacharya. These group of 8 monasteries preach the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy.

Mythology

The beautiful city of Udupi along the Arabian Sea has many interesting legends intertwined with its history. It is believed that Chandra, the moon god, received redemption for his sins from Lord Shiva after doing penance here, which led to the naming of the city as Udupi. Udu essentially means star, and pa means leader - hence referring to the god of the stars or God Chandra. There are also many lores surrounding the city’s most popular attraction, the Krishna Temple.

According to the most famous legend, the great saint Sri Madhvacharya was meditating on the coast when he saw a ship about to capsize. He guided the ship to safety away from the waters, and in return, the grateful sailors offered him anything he wished from the ship as a gift. The sage asked for gopichandana, or clay, which unbeknownst to the sailors, covered a majestic statue of Lord Krishna that they had been transporting from Dwaraka, which is Lord Krishna’s birthplace. Sri Madhvacharya unearthed the statue and placed it in its current place of worship in the temple.

Restaurants and Local Food in Udupi

Udupi is almost synonymous to Udupi restaurants popular all over the world and the traditional Udupi cuisine which gives the cuisine of Karnataka a distinct flavor and personality of its own. Hence, while in Udupi, one must experience the local Udupi cuisine which is rich in flavors, ingredients and variety. The popular items of the platter here are Upma, a wide variety of dosas, Bisi bele bath (a spicy preparation of rice), Idlis, Rasam, Goli baje, Payasa, Kheer, Pelakai Halwa ( Jackfruit Halwa) and countless more.
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FAQs on Udupi

What is the best time to visit Udupi?

The best time to visit Udupi is during Winters from October to March because of its unabated heat during summers. The winters are pleasant here, while the temperatures soar up to 40 degrees during the summers. However, evenings are relatively cooler in Udupi. Monsoon, on the other hand, is a suitable time for travelling to Udupi and the nearby places because the temple town has a lush green surrounding after the rains. Udupi is the cultural centre of Karnataka, and there are several festivals and events celebrated there with unmatched pomp. The mutts and temples are patrons of art, hosting many cultural events regularly. Most of these take place in winter. Visiting Udupi during the months when these events are in full swing is ideal because the aesthetic enthusiasm is at its zenith.

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What are the places near Udupi?

The top places near to Udupi are Coorg which is 147 km from Udupi, Kudremukh which is located 58 km from Udupi, Gokarna which is located 143 km from Udupi, Mangalore which is located 48 km from Udupi, Goa which is located 260 km from Udupi

What are the things to do in Udupi?

The top things to do in Udupi are St. Mary's Island, Krishna Temple, Malpe Beach, Kaup Beach, Mookambika Temple, Kudlu Falls. You can see all the places to visit in Udupi here

What is the best way to reach Udupi?

Udupi is well connected to the rest of India by rail & road. Regular rail and bus services ply to and from the city of Udupi; buses being operated both by private and government owners. There is no direct flight connectivity from Udupi. But Mangalore airport, 60 km away, is the nearest airport that connects Udupi to the rest of India and a few Gulf countries.
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What is the local food in Udupi?

Who should visit Udupi?

Ideal for cultural seekers. Suitable for backpackers touring nearby sites like Bengaluru, Mysore etc.

What is not so good about Udupi?

Extremely congested in peak seasons. Politically volatile.

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Udupi Reviews

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Dr. Mukund Deshmukh

on Krishna Temple 3 years ago

Visited temple on Kamada Ekadashi. Weekday is good time to visit. Sought the blessings of Lord. Unexpected disappointment as devotees must seek darshan of lord through window only. No prasadam on eka (Read More)dashi. Therefore, resolve to visit next on days other than ekadashi.

aniche vargoshe

on St. Mary's Island 7 years ago

Apart from the rocky beach, perfect for a game of hide & seek with friends and a great sunset with a date, Its too boring for a solo traveler to spend 300 bucks for boat ride to the island. The s (Read More)ea walk on the malpe beach is a much better option.

rinu antony

on Malpe Beach 7 years ago

It was an amazing island. many peoples are coming over there even foreigners.visiting time from 9 am to 4 pm. boat rates 250 to 300 depends boats..nothing other entry fee to island. only snack food o (Read More)nly available there in island..so u must fill your belly before getting into boat...haha...volcanic rocks are there and that's a beauty scene.....

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